Photo of Banana Creek Viewing area and area map Cocoa Beach to KSC Visitor Complex

In the background is the Apollo/Saturn V building.SWRI and NASA-GSFC will be hosting a reception in that building before the launch (rather than after as had been discussed previously) for all of the MMS (SwRI and GSFC) invitees. The reception will run from 8:30 PM until 10:30 PM and will include food and cash bar and access to the various interactive exhibits and theaters of the museum along with the gift shop. Launch is scheduled at 10:44 pm. Our group will have reserved sections of the bleachers.

The map (click to expand) shows the route from Cocoa Beach to the KSC Visitor Complex, where buses will pick up invitees to travel to the reception at the Apollo/Saturn V building (near top center). The nearby viewing site is the closest one to Pad 41 (top right), from which MMS will be launched.

MMS News (For the latest on MMS, like us on Facebook and get the news in your feed!)

New: 27 Feb: A major revision of the SWT meeting agenda has been necessary owing to the need for time for launch pad tours. See link above.

New: 25 Feb: Encapsulation was completed and the payload is on the transporter for delivery to the launch vehicle.

A set of photos have been posted of the MMS stack and shroud being prepped for encapsulation.

18 Feb: SWT Agenda has been corrected/updated with minor changes, including the abbreviated version above.

17 Feb: Final stacking of the spacecraft has been completed. Next: pyro mating, bagging, move to encapsulation. LV testing underway.

17 Feb: NASA Guest Operations is expected to mail invitations to the launch by 17 Feb. Additional information will be provided with the invites.

Future Plans Made: The first post-launch MMS SWT meeting will be in Boulder at LASP on 15-19 June 18-21 May, during the "eclipse break" from commissioning of the spacecraft.

If for any reason the launch slips, it will do so one day at a time, and it is expected that the launch will occur not later than 16 March.

12 Jan 2015: ULA reported to LSP and MMS that the qualification test of the new Booster Main Vehicle Battery (BMVB) was completed. Initial indications are the battery passed the test with the expected post-test VOC and a successful functional test after vibration. The battery capacity test and a DPA of the cells will be completed this week. This further increases confidence that the battery issue will be resolved in time to maintain the 3/12/2015 launch date.

11 Jan 2015: The orbital debris waiver for the Centaur upper stage has been approved by NASA HQ.